What's in the middle

Bargaining, middling and gratuity (general negotiation for services rendered) Financial etiquette has never been a new struggle. It has only been amplified since the arrival of the global Covid-19 pandemic. Understandably so since many people had to tighten their belts to make a living more bearable during a difficult time, but this then begs the question; by skimping and counting our dollars, should we still be expected to pay full prices for services that have been scaled down to accommodate us during this world crisis? Or should we find more agreeable terms and bargaining methods to ensure both parties are benefitted and compensated either way?   Gratuity/tipping: Being English, tipping has not been a strong suit. However, experiences of other cultures in different countries brought more monetary notions forth, which has made me reconsider my stance on this financial faux pas whilst still keeping my common sense when approaching a situation that requires more voicing than others.  L

Fitness Professionals and fee requirements for Online/Zoom sessions/in-person classes  Should all fitness instructors charge $50 and up for in-person and online classes?  That is a big question that is met with outlining mixed responses.  Teaching via Zoom, I have realized that all wellness and fitness instructors should be paid at least $50 and more for their sessions. Whether online or in-person, this is based on knowing the time, effort, and extra bits that go into every prep before, during, and after a fitness session.  The main discrepancy comes from a clear line that divides all fitness instructors based on specific workout regimes they offer.  As a yoga and meditation instructor, I was charging $35 based on my Zoom sessions and regardless of the hours I spent with my clients.    This made me think, What's In the Middle?   I have also hired a few instructors to work in my fitness company, which is why I know first-hand the commitment to delivering quality services, even onlin

Mediation Vs. Therapy: Do We Need To Change Our “Talk It Out” Mindset?   Hello everyone, Welcome to what's in the middle. Today our little chatter is about therapy. This came up recently because my niece was asking me if I knew one, I was appreciative that she asked me however I asked her what made you think of me, she said well aunty I have heard everyone in LA has a therapist. I laughed out loud. I said well I am not sure everyone has a therapist but many people do. I decided to take her through a meditation class but she was not sold and still was insisting on seeing a therapist. It made me think about therapy, they are great and I have never stopped anyone going to one as we all have our reasons for attending but it raised a lot of questions.    The first being, have we become over-reliant on hashing out our problems to others? I swiftly realized that the answer to this question can be found through the pushing of a remote button. Whole tv shows dedicated to broken-hear

Lose the Fear of Starting Over and Boss Your Future Today!   Twice in my life, I have had to start over. Reset. Go back to the beginning. And the third one is doubtless just around the corner. At the end of the day, there is no easy way to start over, and sometimes you just have to take the plunge. Nobody knows what the future holds. I mean, who among us could have seen this global pandemic happening 12 months ago?! We never know what might happen just around the corner, and this is why it’s important to try to plan and prepare for the future It doesn’t matter whether it’s the end of a career, relationship, property, or unhealthy lifestyle, we all experience changes and fresh starts in our lives. Starting over doesn’t always go the way you think it’s going to and in this new post for What’s In the Middle?, I’m going to explore how you can overcome the fear of starting over, and take charge of your life right now. I am listing a few examples of how I have had to start over again and aga

Comparisons Hello, and welcome to What’s in the Middle.  Today I want to talk about comparisons. I have never been one to be envious of others, however I have always found great inspiration in others. Growing up, my family was surrounded by the wealth of our cousins, aunties and uncles yet we were the poor family who just about managed to sustain a roof over head.  Our mother would work in her little closet sewing 10 pence dresses to keep us financially afloat. But, despite the hardship, we managed to survive.  My aunties would buy trendy clothes and expensive toys for our cousins and we were fortunately gifted their hand me downs. But the fact it was good fortune was something we had to learn, at the time it didn’t feel great. It made me feel very unsure of where we belonged.  I posed my concerns to my mother, expressing my hurt and disappointment in others, feeling as if we’d never be the chosen ones like my cousins, wh

Welcome to What’s in the Middle, dedicated to helping you find balance in your life, mentally. So today I want to explore an issue that a lot of us have to deal with in our lives, the issue of boredom. Now, I am not the sort of person I ever expected to find herself bored and wondering “What shall I do?”   But this is precisely a situation I found myself in lately, and this was a big deal to me. I am someone who likes to keep busy and always finds something to occupy her. Whether it’s meditation, yoga, learning guitar, exercising, or doing some housework, I like to keep busy. So, discovering I was bored was a bit of a shock to me and I decided to dig deeper into why this was.   Do I lack motivation? Am I lazy? Am I short of self-discipline? Do I hate doing the same things over and over? Is there nothing to learn anymore? Do I have fewer friends than I thought? These are all questions I asked myself to try to get to the bottom of this revelation, and I finally found the answer